Jeff Charette

The Odiorne practice session is on again for this Tuesday, 8/15. The weather looks good. HT is 5:36pm. 

I will not be able to attend this week due to another commitment.  This is a great area for practice and past session have always had a good turnout so I hope others will still attend this week.  

NH practice session this Tuesday, 8/1, at Odiorne. The weather looks good. I plan to be there in time for a 5:00 launch.

Five of us had a great practice session, followed by a short ocean paddle, last night at Odiorne. The weather cleared and the water temp is warming up. Thanks to all who came out to play. Next NH practice session is Tuesday, 8/1. 

Sorry to hear you can't make it Bill.

I plan to be there around 4:30, and launch around 5:00.

Weather forecast calls for a slight chance of afternoon showers or t-storms. Right now I am still planning for a 5:00 launch, however if the chance for t-storms increases and we need to cancel I will post here before 3:00. If you are planning to attend please check here for updates.

If you would like to attend, but can't make it by 5:00, no problem. Just paddle out into Little Harbor and look for the kayaks, we should be right off the beach. Or you can reach us on VHF channel 72.

Practice session at Odiorne Point is on for this Tuesday. The water temp is warming up, 64 degrees. I plan the be there in time for a 5:00 launch. Come out and practice rescues, rolling, and stupid kayak tricks. All skill levels are welcome.

Right now the weather looks decent, with clearing skies in the afternoon. I will monitor the weather and post any changes here.

If you plan to attend please post interest here.

The NH practice session at Odiorne Point was off to a good start last night, with 5 paddlers braving the somewhat chilly water. Next session is July 18, and I'm sure the water will be quite a bit warmer by then. Looking forward to seeing several paddlers there.

Bill, I'll see you there. I plan to arrive around 4:30 to be ready to launch at 5:00.

Odiorne practice session is tonight at 5:00. Weather forecast calls for clearing skies throughout the day. Air temps in the low 80s and water temps in the high 50s, so plan to dress accordingly. All skills levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. Hope to see several paddlers tonight. If you would like to attend but can't make it by 5:00, no problem. Paddle out into Little Harbor and look for the kayaks. 

HT at 8:21pm

Weather forecast for tomorrow looks like rain in the morning then clearing in the afternoon, so the Odiorne practice session is still on. I plan to be there a little before 5:00. Hoping to see several others there also.

Peter, thnak you for mentioning these practice sessions. The Odiorne sessions will a great opportunity, for those who are new to sea kayaking, to continue to develop skills learned in the workshop, and hopefully pick up a few new tricks. I want to encourage all skill levels to attend so there should be plenty of experienced paddlers there to help mentor some of the newer folks.

Congratulations Joe!  Well done.

Introducing a New Hampshire practice session.

When - Tuesdays - 5pm launch (see dates listed below)

Where - Odiorne Point, Rye, NH

Launch at 5pm from Odiorne boat launch, Rt 1A, Rye, NH.  Paddle out to Little Harbor where we can practice strokes, rolling, rescues, stupid kayak tricks, falling out of your boat, and anything else we can think of. All skill levels are welcome, and encouraged to attend. My goal is to develop this into a practice session where, in the spirit of NSPN,  we will have plenty of experienced folks willing to assist and encourage the lesser experienced paddlers. Bring boat, paddle, pfd, and any gear you would like to practice with, or gear you would like to learn to use.

For those who are new to kayaking, and looking for some salt water paddling experience, when conditions allow we can end each session with a short paddling trip.

While Little Harbor is a great salt water venue to practice in, it is really only suitable for rolling and rescues during the upper half of the tide cycle, therefore this will not be a weekly session. I have identified Tuesdays throughout the season when the tide is favorable for practicing these skills, and listed the dates below. These dates will also be posted to the NSPN calendar. 

Please remember, ocean water in our area will never warm up like the area lakes do. Dress for the water temperature. Dry suits required for the June session. 

Scheduled dates:

6/20              HT  8:21pm

7/18              HT  6:57pm

8/1                HT  7:25pm

8/15              HT  5:36pm

8/29              HT  5:43pm

9/12              HT  4:18pm

9/26              HT  4:05pm

Launch times for these practice sessions will be 5:00pm. If you would like to attend but cannot arrive in time for a 5:00 launch, no worries. When you get there paddle out into Little Harbor and look for the kayakers.

If you plan to attend one or more of these sessions please reply to this thread.

Congratulations to all three. Hard work and dedication has paid off.

Sorry to hear about your car Janice. I'm glad you are ok.

One important thing to check out before buying a new car is roof rack options. Some makes and models offer very few options for roof racks so it's a good idea to know in advance what options are available. Any vehicle with a long roof line, that's allows for more bar spread, will be best for carrying a kayak. As for loading, if you are not using a Hullavator, a vehicle that allows you to load from the rear will make it much easier to load by yourself. If you do opt for a small car, hatchbacks usually work well for carrying gear.

The factory keel strip on my Explorer measures 2 3/8 inches. Most likely a 2 inch strip with a little gel-coat overlap.

I have the Kokatat Expedition dry suit and I have been very happy with it. Basically you cannot go wrong with any of the Gore-Tex dry suits from Kokatat. I would recommend sticking with the Gore-Tex, but other than that the higher priced models are just offering more bells and whistles.

Pru, another fantastic trip report. Again, you have a way of making me feel like I was there with you. Thanks for sharing.

Rob, great day. Thanks for organizing.

8 hours ago, rfolster said:

Weather is looking really good for this to be a Level 2 trip!  We also have a number of potential leaders for the day, so I highly encourage anyone interested in learning about the Common Adventure Model to join us.

What do people like for launch and return times?

Does a 10:00am beach briefing with return to launch around 4:00pm work for others?

Rob, count me in.

Jeff

Dave and Mike, congratulations to both of you.

Great trip report Pru. I always enjoy reading your trip reports. In some ways I felt like I was there with you, (don't I wish).

Please consider joining us for the summer solstice paddle on June 26th. This year I will be coordinating the level 3 trip. Possible destination include Bakers, the Goosberries, and Dry Breakers, however our exact route will be determined based on conditions that day. As Peter mentioned in above post, launch is from Riverhead Beach in Marblehead. Beach briefing at 9:30, launch at 10:00. We will plan to return around 3:00 for the pot luck picnic at the pavilion across the street.

If you are interested in joining please RSVP in the June 26th level 3 calendar posting.

There are also level 2 and 2+ trips posted. Please see calendar and separate posting under Trips/Events, for more info.